Use of electronic data collection to assess pain in thalassaemia: a feasibility study.

AIM: To assess the feasibility of collecting electronic pain data from thalassaemia patients, based on its acceptability and convenience to the participants and study team. METHODS: Participants in the Thalassemia Clinical Research Network Assessment of Pain Survey Study completed the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) quarterly by paper or phone interview. Participants in a substudy completed the BPI Short Form daily over three non-consecutive transfusion cycles through an automated telephone system. RESULTS: The consent rate for the main study was 93%, with 93% retention. The substudy had 75% retention, with more than 75% of scheduled calls completed. Regular monitoring of enrollment, missed calls, data quality, and the performance of the subcontractor for the automated system was crucial to fulfillment of the study goals. CONCLUSIONS: Use of electronic data collection for patient-reported outcomes was convenient for both patients and study personnel but required human interactions beyond the automated system to maximise data quantity and quality.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer determinations using multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to characterize amyloid-beta plaques.

We describe the implementation of a commercial fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) instrument used in conjunction with a commercial laser scanning multiphoton microscope. The femtosecond-pulsed near-infrared laser is an ideal excitation source for time-domain fluorescence lifetime measurements. With synchronization from the x-y scanners, fluorescence lifetimes can be acquired on a pixel-by-pixel basis, with high spatial resolution. Multiexponential curve fits for each pixel result in two-dimensional fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements that allow the determination of both proximity of fluorescent FRET pairs, as well as the fraction of FRET pairs close enough for FRET to occur. Experiments are described that characterize this system, as well as commonly used reagents valuable for FRET determinations in biological systems. Constructs of CFP and YFP were generated to demonstrate FRET between this pair of green fluorescent protein (GFP) color variants. The lifetime characteristics of the FRET pair fluorescein and rhodamine, commonly used for immunohistochemistry, were also examined. Finally, these fluorophores were used to demonstrate spatially resolved FRET with senile plaques obtained from transgenic mouse brain. Together these results demonstrate that FLIM allows sensitive measurements of protein-protein interactions on a spatial scale less than 10 nm using commercially available components.